The Queen's Gaels picked up an 84-55 win against the Toronto Varsity Blues on Saturday afternoon on the road. Coming off their first loss of the season last night, the Gaels demonstrated resilience by entering this game on a clean slate and earning themselves the win. The Gaels showed impressive offensive depth, with four players earning more than 10 points, and 29 points coming from the bench. Kiyara Letlow (Kinesiology) led the team in points with 16 and rebounds with 11, while Bella Gaudet (Commerce) put up 11 points, including 3 three-pointers.
The Gaels came into the game sharp, with Katrina Renon (Arts & Science) putting Queen's on the scoreboard with an early three-pointer. Gaudet contributed a second three-pointer for the Gaels, as they quickly built up an 8-point lead. Despite this, the Varsity Blues were able to close the gap to three points by the end of the first quarter. A three-pointer in the second quarter from Ally Smith (Kinesiology) brought the Gaels a 29-20 lead, forcing the Varsity Blues to use a timeout to regroup. Haley Barbieri (Arts & Science) made their first three-pointer, while Gaudet put up their third of the game, thrilling the away team's bench and extending their lead to 42-28. Defensively, Queen's held strong with 13 defensive rebounds and 2 blocks in the first half. Going into the second half, the Gaels led 47-28 with a substantial 19-point lead.
Letlow continued to be a force to reckon with on the court, picking up their 10th point of the game with a layup early in the third quarter. Toronto was able to get some points on the board, closing the Gaels' lead from 19 to 10 points. First year guard Sarah Reid (Kinesiology) put up back-to-back jump shots, and Smith made their second three-pointer of the game as the buzzer ended the third quarter. Renon put up their 10th point of the game with a three-pointer early in the final quarter, extending the Queen's lead to 67-47. With 50 seconds remaining, the Varsity Blues called their final timeout in their last attempt to regroup. Ultimately, Queen's picked up the win with a convincing 84-55 score, marking their 18th win of the season.
Up next, the Gaels will look forward to facing off against the Nipissing Lakers next Friday at 6pm on their home court. Queen's improves their record to 18-1 as they sit at the top of the OUA East standings.
